Watching Your Liquor
by Fyliwion
Summary: He was one of the best. After all… He was the one no one would have thought to suspect. Spoilers for Chapter 622. [OneShot]


Title: Watching Your Liquor  
Author: Fyliwion  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 2700  
Disclaimer: I do not own Conan. Nope. I wouldn't be a starving college student if I did XD  
Summary: He was one of the best. After all… he was the one no one would have thought suspect.

**SPOILER WARNING FOR CHAPPY 622 CONCERNING BO.**

* * *

It had been difficult. It had been horribly difficult.

When he had first joined he hadn't been near as emotional. He still wasn't as cold blooded or merciless as some of the other members, and he would never be the emotionless killers who treated their assignments like a piece of homework.

But then he hadn't been hired to kill, he been hired to investigate.

It had been the perfect opportunity. He was young. He excelled at handling weapons of all sort. He had connections to the police. He was a protégé when it came to detective work.

And they had hired him under false pretenses.

Originally they had simply sought him out claiming they needed a detective. They gave him the information concerning the case, and asked that he contact them as soon as he managed to solve it- preferably no later then a week. Later he discovered it had been more of a test then anything, as a week or so after he had solved it they contacted him again asking if he would be willing to work with them as a personal detective.

At first he'd been hesitant, his instinct told him something seemed out of place here. But after his father's rising objections to his career choice, his pride took hold and he choose to take them up on the offer.

It took him several months later to realize exactly how deep he'd gotten into the whole thing, but by then it was too late to leave. Even if he had wanted to go, he was far too aware what sort of end awaited those wishing to leave the Organization.

He may not fear death, but he did have people he cared about. He had no wish to watch them be killed one by one before he finally chose to commit seppuku or the like.

He wasn't that much of an idiot.

So he stayed.

But really it wasn't that bad. He had access to the best cases, information, knowledge of major members in nearly every type of political and criminal organization in the world, and an assured place as one of the leading detectives in Japan, if not the world, all before he turned twenty.

Not to mention the pay didn't hurt either.

At first it really hadn't been that bad. His ambition kept him from looking too deeply into the darker side of the group. They hadn't asked him to murder anyone. Not yet. Hell he hadn't even found out that part of the Organization until after he realized that most of the missing people he found for them had a habit of becoming the victim of murder cases a few days later.

He was intelligent. He couldn't be the detective he was if hadn't been. He started thinking maybe now might be a good time to look at other options.

But then he became more intimate with the group. They discovered how "good" he really was, and began relying on him more. He was the one they sent out to find the ones on their hit lists. He was the one who managed to find the information needed to make the final strike. He was the one who in solved the murder, and made sure no one ever suspected the Organization so much as existed.

He did his job well, and after a while even could even find some sort of morbid enjoyment in knowing he was really _that _good. That he could solve or find _anything, anyone _.

That alone sickened him even without the guilt.

Especially when he was around _Her _.

So he started intensifying a sort of mask. He'd always been rash, idiotic, emotional, and perhaps a bit wayward. He let that part of him take complete control when he wasn't on the job. He knew he was becoming more annoying. He was aware of how rash he appeared most of the time. He knew he should listen to his common sense, but it became a common choice not to. He knew when _She _began flirting with him (intentionally and unintentionally), and later knew they both shared mutual feelings.

He knew but he chose to do nothing to change. He didn't want to risk it. He didn't dare show it. He let his irrationality shine through like a type of armor. It was the only thing that stood between him and reality, and regardless of his actions he wasn't quite ready to fall on his sword yet.

You had to have a certain pride and ambition to start work with the Organization in the first place. A type of goal that drives you to the brink, and then carries you over it whatever your will may be.

He wore his mask and dared not question his choice.

He realized something was wrong when he felt ill the day they announced he had been given a codename.

He did feel a sickening type of pride when they said he was their "secret weapon." They're own "silver bullet" as they called him. Only a few selective members even knew he existed as a member, not that any member had full knowledge of all those working directly under the Boss.

But he was a special case, he was becoming one of their most valued members.

And with the name they gave him a new mission.

"Find Kudo Shinichi."

He'd laughed initially. It had seemed ridiculously easy. His Eastern counter point was all over the news and papers. Find Kudo Shinichi? Why every girl in Japan could tell you his address by heart if you asked.

He stopped laughing when they informed him Kudo Shinichi had been fed a poison by one of the highest members in the org who had been quite sure he was as good as dead. Gin sent chills up nearly every member's back. As an assasin there was no one better or more cold blooded.

Someday he wanted to be the one to see him behind bars. He'd watched the monster kill enough innocent people to wish for some type of justice. Not to mention it was Gin who saw fit to carry out the "accidents" that tended to befall those surrounding the people who chose they no longer liked the Organization as much as they thought.

And now they wished him to find some teen detective who was suppose to have escaped an assured assassination by the monster?

A boy who had apparently dropped off the face of the earth?

Hattori wondered if he'd finally given a suicide mission, and if he was doomed to the same fate as the Miyano girl…

After all failure was never acceptable.

Yet by some saving grace he began getting clues.

He discovered that the guy's family had left for America and his last real tie to Japan happened to be his presumed girlfriend "Mouri Ran." He discovered around the same time that Kudo disappeared, the girl's father suddenly had gone from a somewhat fraudulent detective, to a mastermind over night.

He discovered at the same time a young boy by the name of Edogawa Conan began living with the Mouris.

Some research later he had everything he needed to know, and all he had left was to test the theory.

A quick trip to Tokyo, and a visit to the Mouri girl proved as easy to get Kudo out of hiding as he thought. It also further supported his theory.

The only flaw in the whole thing was he still couldn't figure out how someone could un-grow by ten years. He'd never been much of a Holmes fan after all, could never flow with the whole "Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth" thing. He was simply too pragmatic.

One more trip stalking the Edogawa boy; however, shot that thought to pieces.

Somehow though he was reluctant to report it. Kudo had proven to be a worthy challenge, and for some reason the two of them got along. He'd never had close friends other then _Her, _and he couldn't quite bring himself to lose it yet.

But when the pressure became to great, he reluctantly gave the information out hoping they wouldn't seek out the boy's death just yet.

After all Kudo was just as much of a protégé as he was, perhaps even more so.

They were both even good with their masks.

He was surprised when they requested that he become closer to the other detective. Befriend him they said. Don't worry he would not be asked to assassinated him, rather they had larger plans for Kudo and needed a set of inside eyes.

He already trusted him didn't he? Surely it would be easy.

So he went along with it, and started keeping in touch with the shrunken detective.

They visited places together. They worked together. It was to him that Kudo confessed everthing. Him that he knew every plan concerning Kudo's stance against the Organization. Him that helped make the plans to bring them down.

Some part of him almost wished Kudo would succeed, even if it meant his own downfall in the making.

And then after months upon months of becoming as tight knit with the other detective as possible. Months of meeting with mysterious FBI members. More months of learning FBI secrets, and intrigue concerning the actions of those against the Organization. Months of passing more information then most members did in a year.

Kudo never suspected once, not even when him up to tell him they suspected there was a spy in their midst.

After all how could he be suspected? He was too noble. To prideful. A detective just like Kudo.

He'd been sick with guilt.

And just as he had started to wonder if maybe it was worth just sticking a sword in his gut for the good of everybody, he received the message.

"Locate Miyano Shiho. Codename Sherry. Eradicate."

It was short. To the point. And this time he knew for a fact that failure was not acceptable.

It was funny in some ways. He'd never mentioned Haibara Ai to them. Perhaps it was the one act of good will he felt he had been able to give to his friend. They didn't know about the small girl, so why should he mention her?

Perhaps he felt some sort of connection to this woman who had wished to leave the Organization, who had the guts to attempt to commit suicide rather then allow them to take her life from her as they had her sister.

But he knew this was his final test. He knew they had begun to suspect, what he already had discovered.

Somewhere along the way Kudo Shinichi had come to be his "friend," and even with the information he gave it meant that he was too much of a danger to leave unattended.

Kill or be killed.

Or worse? Watch those around him be picked off one by one.

Secretly he knew it would eventually come to this. Somewhere inside he realized that they would eventually use him as an assasin. He was perfect. He gave off none of the aura most of the members had. He was as squeaky clean as you got.

And if you ever wanted to pull of a perfect murder, who better but a near protégé detective?

He knew he probably couldn't live with himself, but he also knew of no way out- at least none that saved Haibara.

He'd sent back the confirmation message and then put a hold on everything trying to figure exactly _what _he was going to do about the situation. When he heard "The Sleeping Mouri" was being called for a case concerning two feuding families he hired himself out to the other side in hopes to talk with Kudo.

He'd planned to go ahead and spill everything to the Detective of the East. To hell with the consequences there was no way he could go through with the murder- especially since his death appeared inevitable anyway he looked at it.

And then _She _came along.

And he remembered why he hadn't given up.

And for one short second he had wished he could throw everything he'd done out the window, and tell her that yes… yes he did love _Her, _and yes _She _was the one.

Except that was like some big cosmic joke that he refused to fall into.

And he realized he couldn't risk the Organization taking an interest in _Her _- even if it meant betraying Kudo and killing Haibara.

Sherry wasn't all that innocent either after all. She had been part of the Organization after all. She had created an untraceable poison.

At least he could make sure her death was swift.

In reality though he wondered if he felt worse about the fact he was killing the woman, or if perhaps it was the knowledge he was taking away Kudo's last opportunity at an antidote.

He thought he could wait. He had hoped maybe Kudo would find a way to bring them down before he had to go through with it, or perhaps something would happen to interfere.

And then he received the call from Kudo telling him that "A new member of the Organization was on the move to assassinate Haibara, and they needed to take extra precautions."

Somehow he didn't think the leak had been accidental, but then very rarely were any leaks truly accidental. All too often the information that got passed was only that which the Organization wished to be known.

So it was that he found himself on another trip to Tokyo, making sure _She _could not come along this time.

So it was he found himself staying the night with the Mouris' again.

So it was he found himself with Kudo and the small girl.

He noticed this was the first time she ever seemed frighten around him. The first time she ever showed signs of that sixth sense she claimed to feel every time an Organization member was around.

Apparently he was just _that _good.

It was a shame Kudo came back too soon… he hadn't wanted to do it in front of the one guy he'd accounted as a friend. He knew the whole thing had already shot their relationship to pieces, but he hadn't wished Kudo to see him pull his katana on the cowering girl.

_"Hattori-" _

He felt the cold mask that all the members of the Organization seemed to had slide over his face as his name. The first time he'd ever let it fall into place.

_"Sorry Kudo." _

He held out the sword at the stunned boy standing in the door way.

_"You're-" _

The sword moved before the other detective ever had a chance.

_"I had hoped you would have watched your liquor better-" _

Kudo was barely able to whisper as he said in disbelief-

_" Bourbon."_

* * *

_**A/N: **__You mean… not Aoko/Kaito? gasps Okay… Now the first thing you must understand is that I don't actually believe Hattori is Bourbon. I think it's really far out and improbable- but seriously? …I think it would also be freaking awesome. I mean… he'd be like the most amazing spy ever… but as I said I don't honestly believe it. However… when they were mentioning a great detective sent to get close and assassinate Ai I just had this run through my head, and like what would happen if Bourbon was someone we knew? And then I remembered I'd talked about Heiji working for the Org years ago with another author so… Yeah I realize that it's not all IC but this is so freaking AU and this isn't your usual Hattori._

_Please don't flame me or hate me too much… I already know it's bizarre and OOC Personally I always wanted my first Heiji fic to be a happy Heiji/Kazzy fic and I definitely didn't want this to turn out this way... It got written anyway._


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